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(No Model.) 7 JULIO GEZAR RIBEIRO DE SOUZA.

- APPARATUS FOB ABRIIAL NAVIGATION. No. 280,914.. Pagented July 10,1883.

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7 objectof this arrangement of the shape of the theweight of the bird.

UNITE STATES rrrcn.

ATENT APPARATUS FOR AERIAL. NAVIGATION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,914, dated July 10,1883.

Application filed December 20, 1881. (No model.)

Patented in France October 25, 1881. No. 145,512 in Germany October 29,1881 in England November 8. 1831 No. 4,887; in Belgium November 15,1881. No. 56,240,- in Austria November 23, 1881; in Spain December 1,1881, No. 2,038; in Portugal December 6, 1881, No. 724, and in ItalyDecember 7. 1F8l, No. '13,fi4T.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JULIO CEZAR RIBEIRO DESOUZA, a subject ,of the Emperor of Brazil, of Para, in the Empire ofBrazil, have invented new an d useful Improved Apparatus for AerialNavigation, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for aerial navigationby means of balloons; and it has for its object a novel method ofapplying to such apparatus the principle upon which birds fly uponextended wings, but in an inverse sense-that is to say, the ascensionalforce of the gas in the balloon being substituted for the tendency tofall resulting from In the flight of a bird so flying very littlemuscular effort is used, its own weight being utilized to provideresistance to the air which supports it by the resistance it meets underthe wings and tail, in a manner analogous to that by which a kite issupported in the air, the tension of a string being substituted for theweight of the bird.

The accompanying drawings are in illustration of my present invention,Figure 1 being a side view, and Fig. 2 a plan, of a balloon and itsdependent apparatus and appliances.

A is the body of the balloon, containing hydrogen or other sufficientlylight gas, and the length of which is about five times its greatestdiameter. Its front end is formed of a cone, the length of which is notless than the greatest diameter of the balloon, which joins the base ofthe cone. The body of the ballopn itself is'also formed as a truncatedcone, terminating in an ovoid shape at the back end. The

' balloon is to maintain the center of the ascenthe joint F by means ofa lever, The rudder E is also capable of turning upon its longitudinalaxis when desired H is a helical screw or fan, which can be made. torevolve by steam or other convenient In order to render more clear themethod in which the flight of a bird as above described is imitated inan inverse sense by my novel apparatus, Iwill proceed to explain ingreater detail the method of flight of birds floating in the air onextended wings.

A bodysuch as a bird-can only support itself on or in the air by meansof two mutually dependent forcesthat is to say, first,

the forcesuch as weight.pressing upon the j air; and, secondly, a forceopposed tothe first, and so acting upon the surface of the body as totend to raise it. The one force is proportioned to the dimensions ofthesurface and the other to the resistance of the medium.

These two forccsweight and the resistance of the air from below upwardare the sole agents by means of which a bird floats upon extendedwings-a kind of flight the simplest and most easy to imitate, and uponwhich is founded my present invention. A bird so flying has its centerof gravity forward, its head being extended and its feet drawn up, andthe resultant of the two opposing forces-weight and the resistance ofthe air against the wings and tailis a movement more or less horizontal,according to the proportion of the parallelogram of forces constructedupon lines representing them.

In my novel apparatus the position of the several parts which imitatethose of the bird is wholly reversed, the downward action'of the weightof the latter being replaced by the ascensional or upward force of theballoon, and as in the bird the extent of the wings is proportioned toits weight and to the resistance of the air, and the weight is also.pro-

I portioned to the volume, so when the same conditions are observed inmy apparatus, so

- that its volume, its ascensional force, and the dimensions of itssurface of resistance have similar proportions, it will fly almost likethe bird. Ascensional' force being substituted for weight, the wings Band rudder E mustbe arranged in relation to the lightness of the balloonas the wings and tail are to the weight of the bird, so that the entireapparatus will somewhat resemble a bird flying horizontally, but uponits back. The wings B, in order to obtain stable equilibrium, should beplaced, as shown, below the center of the ascensional force acting frombelow upward, as the wings of the bird are placed above the center ofgravity or force acting downward, and when thus arranged the movement ofthe balloon will resemble that of the bird, ascending in the way thebird descends, and vice versa, without it being necessary to throw outballast to ascend or to discharge gas to descend. As, however,

the bird flying in the way described requires occasionally to move itswings, especially to ascend, I provide a helical propeller, as shown atD, in order to obtain analogous propulsive force. The wings B themselvesnever strike the air, their movement being confined, first, to a slightlateral inclination, for the purpose hereinafter explained; and,secondly,to alongitudinal inclination at the back end, which is mademovable, as already described, in order to change the horizontaldirection or to vary the speed.

The tail is made horizontal and correspondingwith that of a bird, nochange being required in my system of apparatus, since the upward forceof the balloon and the analogous weight of the bird both act vertically,though in opposite directions. The object of the tail is not essentiallyto steer with. The direction of flight is governed by a bird by thealteration of its center of gravity to the side to which it desires toturn.' To turn to the right, it lowers its right wing and slightlyinclines its tail in a corresponding way. To turn to the left, it lowersits left and raises its right wing, inclining its tail in a similarmanner. In order to produce a corresponding result with my apparatus,it'is only necessary to do exactly the reverse of that which the birddoes that is to say, to raise the wing of the side to which it isdesired to turn, and to lower that upon the opposite side. By doing thisthe resistance of the air on the side uponwhich the wing has been raisedwill be lessened, .and assuch resistance will be increased on the otherside,

up on which the wing hasbeen lowered, the balj loon will be naturallyturned to the side of the raised wing.

A vertical rudder is unnecessary in my improved apparatus, the movementof the wings and tail, as described, being all that is neces sary toalter the direction of movement.

When the balloon is large and has great ascensional force, two or morewings, as described, and shown at B, may be arranged above each other,so as to be of less size, as in the sails of a ship. The extent ofsurface of these wings may be varied as desired by opening or. closingthem as the variation of the wind may from time to time require, as

the bird does by extendi'ng or drawing in its wings; and in largeballoons the .wings may be made in sections divided longitudinally orlaterally, or both.

The several novel devices and methods of arrangement and operationhereinbefore de scribed and shown are mutually dependent,-

and their combination constitutes an entirely new system of aerialnavigation.

-I am aware that prior to myinvention it has beenpropdsed-tomakeapparatus for aerial navigation in which a balloon having wingsandrudder and propelling apparatus is used, and I do not claim such acombination, broad 1y; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-s The combination, in apparatus for aerial navigation, of a conicalballoon, A, having a conical front and ovoid back, with the wings B,arranged below the center of ascensional force of the balloon andturning upon a longitudinal axis, and also capable of being raised orlowered around the joint 0 by means of the screw D, I the horizontaltail or rudder E, turning upon the joint F, and also around itslongitudinal axis, and the propelling-fan H, set

in motion from the car, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two sub scribing witnesses.

JULIO 'GEZAR RIBEIRO DE SOUZA.

Wftne'sses: Y

E. DIENAIDE,

ROBT. M. HOOPER.

